Romania : Part 2 - Day 4 : Sarmizegetusa Regia

Day 4 of Romanian Drive

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 4. 

18/9 Day 4: Tara Hategului -- Sarmizegetusa Regia -- Targu Jiu, Horezu 

We slept in the car.

Must-Incur Costs

(1) Petrol in Hunedoara  - LEI159.35 / EUR35.21 / 32.38 liter

Last filled in Budapest, Hungary on Day 3

(2) Entrance fee to Sarmizegetusa - LEI5 per person / EUR1.10 / RM5.29 (the great thing about Romanian currency is that it is almost the same rate as my currency although slightly more expensive but I am happy I don't need to convert significantly each time I buy something in Romania)

Optional Costs 

(1) 18/9 Lunch at Hunedeora - Bread LEI4 / EUR0.88 

(2) 18/9 Dinner at Hunedeora - Gyros Kebab LEI11 / EUR2.40, Fanta Drink LEI3.50 / EUR0.77 (We bought Fanta in Germany of the same size for EUR2.79. Oh what vast difference)

Prof Sweet Tooth finds the price of the food so cheap in Romania, that he feels like he is eating for free because anything edible in Sweden is expensive.

The Story

180916: I woke up to a view of beautiful greenery. We were in Hunedoara County. 

Today, we are going to see the Dacian Fortress. We were not sure where is the location. Coincidentally, we passed one of a similar fortress but a smaller one. The entrance fee was LEI2 but we had not changed any currency. The kind caretaker allowed us to go in for free. My first day in Romania and I meet nice people.

Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa was the capital and the largest city of Roman Dacia, later named Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa after the former Dacian capital, located some 40 km away. Built on the ground of a camp of the Fifth Macedonian Legion, the city was settled by veterans of the Dacian wars. From the very beginning it received the title of colonia and the status of ius Italicum. With an area of 30 hectares (74 acres; 0.12 sq mi), a population between 20,000 and 25,000[citation needed], and strong fortifications, Ulpia Traiana was the political, administrative and religious centre of Roman Dacia in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

The city was destroyed by the Goths. Today Ulpia Traiana remains in ruins, with a partly preserved forum, an amphitheatre, and remnants of several temples. Source from Wikipedia.

Unfortunately, because I am not a history buff, I could not give full appreciation of the place. Prof Sweet Tooth did enjoy himself looking at the ruins. We went to look for lunch at the next town Hateg. We walked around looking for a money exchange shop, but it was proven useless because it was a Sunday. We went to the Tourist Info Center and the staff guided us to an obscure money exchange shop, as how he described - a white door in a row of shops in a back lane - as he pointed at the road on the map. We walked to the road not being able to find that white door. 

Prof Sweet Tooth, being the male, did not want to ask for information. So, I asked a shop owner that manned a gyros kebab eatery if she knows any money exchange. We bought gyros kebab for dinner later. The shop owner shouted to someone at the back, and then her husband came out, and he pointed to a Johnny guy standing a few metres away who knows a money exchange. We went up to him, and he asked how much do you want to exchange, as he pulled out some Romanian Lei. We exchanged EUR100, and got LEI440. 

With our new found monies, I got to buy bread for lunch. Cozonac = sponge cake, but it was not spongey. Haha.

After the short lunch, we continued the drive towards Sarmizegetusa Regia. Along the way, we saw bling palace built by the locals. Shiny silver roofs and gates with bright wall colours. The gypsy palace with a taste of hardcore bling bling. Many are illegally built and hence, pose as a safety hazard. I only saw these palaces in Hunedoara.

The landscape is gorgeous towards Sarmizegetusa Regia.

We reached the historical site at 1.50pm. From May to September, the place is opened from 9am to 8pm. From March to April, and October to November, it is opened from 9am to 6pm. The place is closed from December to February. It must be very cold. When we reached, I could feel the chill as I stepped out from the car.

Sarmizegetusa Regia, also Sarmisegetusa, Sarmisegethusa, Sarmisegethuza, was the capital and the most important military, religious and political centre of the Dacians prior to the wars with the Roman Empire. Erected on top of a 1200 m high mountain, the fortress, comprising six citadels, was the core of a strategic defensive system in the Orăştie Mountains (in present-day Romania).

Sarmizegetusa Regia should not be confused with Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, the Roman capital of Dacia built by Roman Emperor Trajan some 40 km away, which was not the Dacian capital. Sarmizegetusa Ulpia was discovered earlier, was known already in the early 1900s, and was initially mistaken for the Dacian capital, a confusion which led to incorrect conclusions being made regarding the military history and organization of the Dacians. The Dacians capital’s defensive system includes six Dacian fortresses — Sarmizegetusa, Costești-Blidaru, Piatra Roșie, Costeşti-Cetățuie, Căpâlna and Băniţa. All 6 have been named UNESCO World heritage sites.

Sarmisegetusa's walls were partly dismantled at the end of First Dacian war in AD 102, when Dacia was invaded by the Emperor Trajan of the Roman Empire. The Dacians rebuilt them. The Romans systematically destroyed them again in 106 and deported the inhabitants. The Roman conquerors established a military garrison at Sarmisegetusa Regia. Later, the capital of Roman Dacia was established 40 km from the ruined Dacian capital, and was named after it - Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa. Source from Wikipedia.

One has to walk uphill for about 2km to reach the entrance. The entrance fee is LEI5 per person.

I am sorry but I could not appreciate the historical value of the site. I am not well read on Romanian history, but any place that is a Unesco World Heritage must be a place worth going to. Prof Sweet Tooth was very excited to be there, having a million questions in his head. 

We drove back to Hateg town where we bought gyros kebab for dinner. Along the way, I stopped to go inside the local church. I like to visit religious buildings. 

We are back at the gyros kebab shop. 

A gyro or gyros is a Greek dish made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, normally pork, chicken, beef, veal, lamb or mutton, or other alternatives such as feta or haloumi cheese, and usually served wrapped in a flatbread such as pita, with cucumber, tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce.

To make gyros, pieces of meat are placed on a tall vertical rotisserie, in the shape of an inverted cone, which turns slowly in front of a source of heat, usually an electric broiler. If the meat is not fatty enough, strips of fat are added so that the roasting meat always remains moist and crisp. The rate of roasting can be adjusted by varying the strength of the heat and the distance between the heat and the meat, allowing the cook to adjust to varying rates of consumption. The outside of the meat is sliced vertically in thin, crisp shavings when done. It is generally served in an oiled, lightly grilled piece of pita, rolled up with various salads and vegetables such as cucumber and lettuce, as well as sauces, such as mustard and ketchup. Source from Wikipedia. 

Look at the huge portion of the gyros kebab for LEI11. Both of us were stuffed sharing one packed box. There were french fries underneath and topped with sliced chicken decorated with cucumber, tomatoes, onion and drizzled with ketchup and mayonnaise. It looks messy but the combination is delicious!

Now, we drive on to Horezu and stopped at Targu Jiu to sleep the night.